By Christi Stone
My greatest desire in this world begins and ends with a quality lifestyle not only for my family and myself, but I hope that in my journey through this crazy life, that I can inspire hope in others to do the same. I think that we all can agree and learn to understand that our days on this earth are numbered, therefore it is up to us to learn and sometimes fight for a meaningful life of value. I believe that value comes from your roots; It’s who you are, it’s what you believe in and it’s the purpose driving you to be the absolute best version of yourself.
My roots can be found in a small town in upstate New York, where as a family, countless hours were spent learning about the appreciation for the conservation of the land and its habitat. Growing up, I acquired a deep respect for life in the great outdoors – A place where we had our most memorable experiences as a family and learned that the time spent together was what held the most value.
My hunting journey began as soon as my father was able to strap boots on my feet, and walk me safely through the woods to a tree where I was able to sit still for longer than five minutes at a time. There was no pink camo to entice me to go with him and certainly no “trophy” waiting for me. The relationship that we built, the memories that were made and just being in the woods were all the reward that I needed. I wasn’t a princess – I wore my brothers hand-me-down hunting clothes and being a female in the woods meant that I was just another little hunter in the woods with her Dad.Your kids will do what you do. I have no greater purpose for the lifestyle that I choose to live, than knowing that I am setting the standard for our son and future children. When I am not focusing on teaching them about the values behind hunting and the great outdoors, I will be teaching them about living a healthy and active lifestyle. For my family, those values go hand-in-hand, and if those values can inspire hope and vision in others to improve their quality of life, then we are doing pretty good.
This is truly the essence of what hunting should be all about. Not just for the glory of shooting the biggest and baddest trophy in the woods and breaking records. It’s about time shared in the outdoors with family and friends and the memories made. The bonus is when we shoot a game animal we get to enjoy a great meal as well. Great article!
Your Dad is indeed a lucky man having a daughter like you. Jay
Lovely!!